Handling Do-Not-Know Answers: Exploring New Approaches in Online and Mixed-Mode Surveys. (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Leeuw, Edith D.; Hox, Joop J.; Boevé, Anja
• Other Names: Bosnjak Michael guest-editor.; Das Marcel guest-editor.; Lynn Peter guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Social science computer review. Volume 34:Number 1(2016:Feb.)
• Page Start: 116
• Page End: 132
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: data quality -- emulating interviewers -- item nonresponse -- probing -- visual design -- web survey; Social sciences -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Computers -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Microcomputers -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Micro-ordinateurs -- Périodiques; 300.285
• DOI: 10.1177/0894439315573744
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0894-4393

Abstract

An important decision in online and mixed-mode questionnaire design is if and how to include a "do-not-know" (DK) option. Mandatory response is often a default option, but methodologists have advised against this. Several solutions for the DK category are suggested. These include (1) not explicitly offering a DK, but skipping questions is allowed, (2) explicitly offering a DK option with visual separation from the substantive responses, and (3) using the interactivity of the web to emulate interviewer probing after a DK answer. To test these solutions, experimental data were collected in a probability based online panel. Not offering DK, but allowing respondents to skip questions, followed by a polite probe when skips occurred, resulted in the lowest amount of missing information. To assess the effect of probing across different modes, a second experiment was carried out that compared explicitly and implicitly offering the DK option for web and telephone surveys.